Sandy slams MetroWest, knocks out power to thousands

As Hurricane Sandy’s howling winds knocked out power to a large part of MetroWest and caused untold damage Monday, officials urged people to brace for extended periods without electricity. The storm tore down wires and toppled trees that fell onto homes and across roads. A falling tree hurt a Framingham firefighter who was responding to a call.

As Hurricane Sandy’s howling winds knocked out power to a large part of MetroWest and caused untold damage Monday, officials urged people to brace for extended periods without electricity.

The storm tore down wires and toppled trees that fell onto homes and across roads. A falling tree hurt a Framingham firefighter who was responding to a call.

"It’s extremely treacherous out there," Framingham Deputy Police Chief Steve Trask said from an emergency command post. Municipal and utility crews were out confronting "lots of damage," he said, including hundreds of downed wires.

More than 300,000 National Grid and NStar customers were without power at 6 p.m., and Gov. Deval Patrick cautioned it could take the companies time to restore service.

The utilities moved quickly to restore power to several thousand customers "within an hour or so," Patrick said.

But winds over 30 mph posed a hazard that kept crews from going up in bucket lifts to reach the lines, Patrick said at a press conference at the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency bunker on Rte. 9.

"People should expect - and this is a big generalization – that it will take a little longer to restore service."

Communities across MetroWest activated their emergency operations centers early and prepared to open shelters if they experienced prolonged power failures or flooding.

More than 40 percent of Wayland was in the dark at 6 p.m. Monday, and a quarter of NStar customers in Ashland and Natick were without power. The utility showed an online interactive map that showed 95 percent of Sherborn had lost power.

In the Lakeside Avenue/Boston Post Road West area of Marlborough, 1,775 customers were without power. Just under 900 customers in Westborough’s Milk Street area had no power, National Grid reportered.

National Grid President Marcy Reed told reporters Monday that customers can expect to get power back on faster this year than during last year’s two major storms.

Reed said the company improved its processes after being faulted last year for inadequate preparation and response during Tropical Storm Irene and the October snowstorm.

But she said residents should still brace themselves for extended power outages.

"I would not be surprised if I saw over 100,000 or even two or three times that. This is a very big storm and this is a very big deal," she said mid-afternoon as rain fell and Sandy’s winds started whipping.

Patrick said midafternoon he hadn’t yet decided whether to close the state government again today.

Sandy led U.S. Sen. Scott Brown to bow out of tonight’s fourth and final debate with challenger Elizabeth Warren, who, in turn, said it should be called off.

"It is simply not appropriate to go forward with a political debate when a disaster strikes," Brown’s communications director Colin Reed said in a statement.

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Echoing Brown’s concern that public safety and storm cleanup is paramount, Warren "believes the debate should not be held," campaign manager Mindy Myers said.

The state, cities and towns, as well as the utilities, said they were ready for Sandy.

"I would say, all in all, we are holding our own," Patrick said in the MEMA bunker. He urged the public to ride out the storm indoors and be careful using generators, because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

National Weather Service meteorologist Charlie Foley said the damaging winds would increase by midnight and then slow down to "much easier" speeds today. There may also be some lingering showers, he said.

Framingham Fire Deputy Chief Paul Barbieri said one of his firefighters was taken to MetroWest Medical Center after a scare on Carter Drive in Framingham.

"I think it was his left wrist and shoulder just trying to get away from a falling tree," the deputy said. Crews were there to help, he said, after a tree fell onto a house.

The fire, police and public works departments were out straight with wind-related calls, he said.

"It's murder," Barbieri said. "They haven't had a break."

Staff writer Laura Krantz contributed to this report. Danielle Ameden can be reached at 508-626-4416 or dameden@wickedlocal.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleAmeden.